The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-02-05
Retaliation in Earnest.


tration proposals were condemned at
the last session has been followed
this week by the passage Of the Fish
cries Retaliation bill by vote prac-
tically unanimous. Party distinc-
tions were dropped. The Senate rose
to a high level of patriotism in de-
fence of National honor. The series
of unneighborly, brutal and illegal
outrages upon American commerce
in Dominion waters has been resen-
ted with becoming vigor and dignity.
The Senate with only one dissenting
yote-and that vote cast under fan.
tastic Interpretation of the measure
has armed the President with full,
adequate and just powers of reta'ia'
ton. At his discretion United States
ports can he closed against Canadian
vessels, fresh or salt fish or any pro-
ducts of the Dominion can be seized
in American territory, ships and
goods can be forfeited and persons
implicated in the violation of this
law can be fined and imprisoned.
This policy will be heartily support
ed by public opinion in the United
States.
The duty of the House is plain.
its own Committee on Foreign
Affairs has reported retaliation act
of wider scope than the Senate bill.
There is no real necessity for the pas
sage of so extreme measure. Mr..
George Steele. the indefatigable pres
ident of the American Fishing Union
has publicly stated that the Senate
bill covers the ground completely
and that the Belmont bill goes too
far in prohibiting commercial inter
conrse with Canada altogether. We
are disposed to abide by his judg.
ment and to consider the Senate
measure as the more expedient of
the two schemes, Retaliation so far
as may be practicable should be
strictly in kind: Canadian fisher
men and their produce should be
dealt with in the same spirit in
which American fishermen and their
produce are dealt with in Canadian
ports and the extreme policy of
non.intercOurse should be held i'm re-
serve for another year. If the House
will accept the Senate bill as a SUBJ
stitute for its own measure and send
it to the President with the unbrok-
en- support of both parties, the re-
sponsiDility for protecting the rights
ofAmerican fishermen will be clearly
defined. If the President tolerates
the recurrence of outrages on Amer
lean commerce and neglects to eXer-
else the powers of retaliation with
which he is armed, he will deserve
impeachment,
Senator Ingalls, incisive questions
in regard to the real purpose of the
Senate bill were we'll timed and
served to bring out invigorating ex-
hibitions of American feeling. 1t
was unnecessary, however, to ask
whether the bill was intended as a
pacific or as a hostile measure. On
its face it is measure of retaliation
pure and simple. If the warning be
unheeded by the Dominion Govern
ment it may become necessary an
other year to have recourse to more
extreme retaliatory legislation. Such
measures are defensive in character.
1t is a serisus mistake to consider
them in the light of war measures.
The real war measures are the wan
ton outages which have involved the
necessity for retaliation and the
effect of vigorous defensive policy
on the American side will be mark
eddy pacific, since it will tend to
prevent the recurrence of hostile acts.
That this will be the result of the
passage of the Senate bill by the
House we have very little doubt.
Already the Canadian Government
is showing works meet for repent
ance. Three days after the introduce
ton of retaliatOry measures in Cen
gress, Consul General Phelan receiv-
ed from the Canadian authorities a
check for $500, the restored fine on
the schooner Marion Grimes, the flag
of which was hauled down by order
ofjthe staggering commander of the
Terror. Another schooner was re-
leased on Monday. Illegal seizures
and brutal outrages will cease when
the Ottawa officials perceive that the
British Minister is no longer the con-
fidentIal adviser of Secretary Bayard.
that the Administration has renounc-
ed its fiabby policy of inaction, and
that the American people are deter
mined not to have the National homer
compromised.-N. Y. Tribune.
"How do you happen to be such a
r